On May 1, Jackson students and staff had a most extraordinary visitor as they welcomed former astronaut Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Duane “Digger” Carey. Digger presented to students at an assembly after an earlier visit with students at Westmore Elementary. Digger has flown all over the world in over 35 different kinds of airplanes — earning many awards and medals.
In 2002, Digger piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia on a mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. During the mission, Digger and crew were in space for almost 11 days, covered over 3.9 million miles and circled the Earth 165 times. After leaving NASA and the Air Force in 2004, Digger has continued to share his incredible story and inspire young people to learn and explore the universe through math and science. What a career!
After school, Digger spent time with the Engineering Club students as well.
Thank you, Digger Carey, for sharing your time, honesty, and wisdom with our students! And thank you to Jackson Middle School Industrial Tech Teacher Mr. Matt Granger, who helped coordinate Digger’s visit with our students.